The Secret House
by MBosco
Summary: Six months after the deaths of the Purebloods that ruled the house of Chthon another house is brought to Blade's attention; one that he had never heard of before. Traveling to Europe to meet his friend Noah Van Helsing, Blade finds himself in the middle of a secret war that has been spanning the better part of a millennium between vampires and werewolves...
1. Chapter 1

Blade knelt on his mat meditating as he often did. It helped him control the thirst and maintain mental discipline and focus. It had been six months since the Pureblood vampires of the house of Chthon had been killed by a powerful virus that was developed for them by a turned vampire and his colleagues - Marcus Van Skyver. Van Skyver was an ambitious vampire - as ambitious as Deacon Frost had been who had nearly completely eliminated the purebloods from the house of Erebus before Blade had killed him. From Detroit Michigan, Blade had moved back to New York City, New York where he and his partner Shen had set up shop in an old abandoned apartment building in the Bronx where they would lay low for awhile.

Suddenly, a knock on the door brought Blade out of his deep meditations. "Blade we have company. Some old friends of yours are here to see you." said Shen. Blade scowled in annoyance and said roughly, "Tell them to wait. I'll be down soon." Five minutes later, he came down the stares dressed in his usually black leather and cotton. In the main workshop area stood Hannibal King, Abigail Whistler, Zoe Summerfield and Doctor Karen Jenson. Blade leaned back against the table and said, "What are you all doing here?" Being used to his rather frank and unfriendly attitude, the four of them simply chuckled and Hannibal, always the smart mouth said, "It's good to see you too, Blade. We came seeking you out to bring you some news. First of all, Abby and I got married…" and he through his arm around Abigail as they showed Blade their rings. "…and the reception was amazing. A total of…" and he looked at Abby quizzically, "…how many did we kill, baby?" "Forty vampire, including six purebloods from the house of Damaskinoes. We had the wedding and reception while we toured Europe, hunting vampires all the way." said Abigail with a lovely smile. At this, Blade broke into a very rare and very large grin. "That some good news. I'm extremely glad to hear it." Hannibal smiled and said, "Thanks. It means a lot to know that you are happy for us, Blade." Within an instant, Blade's smile disappeared and he said, "I don't care about your marriage. I was talking about the dead vampires. Now what are you all doing here?"

For awhile, everyone was silent until Karen said, "We are here to help you, Blade. We all have some information for you and it's pretty important." At that, all of them, save Shen who was already there and Chloe who was too young still to take part in the vampire hunts, pulled out laptops and files from their bags which they dropped to the floor. "We have information about several of the houses that we know very little about. It's pretty interesting stuff." said Hannibal. Blade strode over to him and looked at the screen. On it were three symbols, a gothic V, M and A. "What the hell is this?" said Blade. "Abigail picked up where Hannibal had left off. "Those are the seals of the three highest ranking purebloods of the house of Corvinos, a house we didn't have a name for until now. Viktor, Amelia and Markus are their names and they are some of the most dangerous vampires we have ever run into. Where they live and operate we aren't sure but we do know that they are one of the younger albeit more organized and, dare I say it, civilized houses. Apparently they abstain from human blood and live off of clone or livestock blood."

Blade crossed his hands over his muscular chest. As long as vampires were not causing trouble for humans, he was content to wait and allow them to live a little longer while he hunted those that were a threat. "What else do you have for me?" he asked less gruffly and more curiously. Karen carried her computer over and said, "A friend I made in England, Noah Van Helsing I believe he said his name was, revealed to me this information. It's the vampire Council. I mean THEE vampire council where the eldest pureblood from every house, even the supposedly outcast house of Armya, rule and move the entire vampire world with their wills. Again, where they dwell and what there purpose is, we have no clue but this we know for sure: the youngest of them is no less than four thousand years old, meaning that Drake could not have been the father of the vampire race. In fact it may be that the vampire race does not have a single father and that our idea of how they originated may be all wrong. They are very powerful and it is said that each of them is a Daywalker as you are, Blade."

Silence fell in the dark hall as Blade digested all the information. For the past six months, he had been content to hunt safe houses and rave halls that the vampires met at in large numbers while he waited for the House of Chthon had make its move. Upon hearing this new information, Blade would have to begin finding out about the house of Corvinos and also the other three houses that he knew less about. These three he did not even have the names of for they had eluded him and his entire organization for years. After several minutes Blade said, "I'm going on a trip to visit Noah. You stay here and see what else you can dig up about these four unknown houses." The guests looked at each other in surprise and little Zoe said, "But Blade, when are you leaving?" Blade turned around and gave another very rare and gentle smile and said, "In a couple days, honey. Make yourself at home and have Shen show you where the fridge and everything is." With that, Blade headed towards the armory. The contents of the room was worth more than a small town bank for every bullet, stake, glaive and knife was made of pure silver. Garlic essence war used to fill silver hollow points. UV flash bangs sat in crates on shelves next to the silver glaives, both UV powered and regular and in a large refrigerator was a syringe and the serum that Blade used to control his thirst for blood that he unfortunately suffered from. Blade was a daywalker, a half vampire and half human hybrid that had all the strengths of the vampires yet none of their weaknesses save for the thirst. He was strong, fast, had heightened senses and healed very quickly. With all the grace and skill of an expert swordsman, Blade took from a wooden stand a long object wrapped in silk. With a gentle tug on the cord, the shroud fell from it and revealed a long sword. The blade was made of a silver-vibranium alloy which was indestructible and was acid etched with many symbols. Drawing the elegant weapon from its black scabbard, Blade swung the weapon experimentally, savoring the sound of the blade cutting the air with a low whistle. Carefully, Blade sheathed his weapon and placed it back on the stand. Then he took the syringe and a small capsule of serum and took a deep breath. This was going to hurt.

Hannibal, Abigail, Karen and Shen worked each at their tasks with great focus. Shen and Karen were working on something special for Blade while Hannibal was making silver hollow points and filling them with garlic. In truth the bullets were actually made of an alloy that contained enough silver to make it deadly to vampires but enough lead to make it effective ammunition. Abigail was sitting with Chloe Summerfield helping here with some arithmetic. She and Hannibal were teaching Zoe as they traveled for being vampire hunters meant that you were also being hunted by vampires so the three of them were constantly on the move. It was nearly two hours before Blade came back down from the armory and his room. He had gotten a good workout and practice in just like he did every day. As he stepped off the bottom step, he looked around his associates. They were all working diligently at whatever task they were working on. Abigail walked up to him and asked quietly, "How have you been, Blade? You didn't give us much time to ask you earlier." Blade returned her gaze and said quietly, "I'm doing alright, Whistler. I'm sure Shen filled you in the situation with the house of Chthon and Marcus Van Skyver." "He did." replied Abby. "He told us about Christa Starr and how she is your mole inside Van Skyver's house. Blade," and she looked at him with great seriousness, "are you sure that you can trust her?" Blade remained silent for a moment and said, "She has proven trustworthy so far. If or when she turns on us I'll drive the stake into her myself."

Krista Starr sat quietly in the study of a safe house that only Marcus had ever known about. Marcus Van Skyver studied her from across the desk. After he had found out that she was working for Blade for the entire time that she was in his house, he had basically locked her in the safe house. Suddenly, Marcus leaned across the desk and asked, "How do you feel, Krista?" The question confused her. How did she feel? She had been caught a spy and he had let her live - all be it as a prisoner. She thought about it for a moment before answering with true honesty. "I don't know, Marcus. I feel confused. I feel grateful that you let me live. I feel somewhat anxious to know what is going to happen to me." Marcus steepled his fingers and continued to study her. After several long minutes, Marcus asked, "Why did you do it, Krista? Why did you help the daywalker?"

Krista took a long while to answer this question which she hope would make Marcus think she felt guilty which, if she was totally honest with herself, a small part of her was. Finally she put her head in her hands and said, "At first I was just so angry at you and the house of Chthon. You had killed my brother and me too and made me a vampire to never be able to walk in the sunlight again." she paused and took a deep breath before saying, "after that we just kept running into each other and I always tried to tell him I couldn't get anything and that security was too tight and that you kept your door locked too tight. But he kept after me and I was scared." Pushing all of her will into the act, she curled up on the chair like a frightened girl and said quietly, "The truth is that he never learned anything from me, Marcus. Please, you have to believe me. Whenever I thought I was gonna have to give something up to live I found out that, somehow they had already discovered it with their own resources. Aurora, Fritz, the Conclave, everything they found out on their own by interrogating familiars and vampires alike."

For a long time they just sat there together. Marcus stared at Krista while Krista stared at the floor. After what seemed like an eternity Marcus stood and walked around the desk and stood behind her. In a quiet voice, Marcus said softly, "I do believe you Krista." With a sigh of relief she jumped up, turned, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they finally separated, Marcus said, "We will have to lay low for awhile. Doubtless the rest of the house of Chthon, not to mention the purebloods of the vampire nation, will be searching for us." Taking her by the hand, he lead her to a cupboard and pulled out two classes and a decanter of blood. When Marcus gave it to her, she took it and drank without hesitation for it had been awhile since she had used the last of the serum Blade had given her. Marcus looked on with approval as he drank his own. When she had finished, he asked, "Do you like it? It is the blood of sheep actually. Sheep are a lot more accessible out here where humans would be missed. Not to mention the fact that sheep blood actually has some properties that human blood does not."

Krista nodded as she pored herself some more. This time, she took careful sips and savored the blood. It was definitely different but not bad at all. After a couple more sips Krista said, "So what are our plans, Marcus? We have been hiding for six months and your sources have been monitoring the vampires for some time. Is there any sign of tracking us?" Marcus shook his head, a perplexed look on his face. "No. To be honest no one has been seen tracking us. Well actually, Armia is still after us and so is Erebus because I've killed one of their purebloods. But Cthan isn't hunting us and neither are any of the other houses. For some of the houses, like Leichan, Corvinos and Draconis, I am not surprised that they haven't joined the others. Leichan is a rather pacifistic house and the others are too wrapped in their own troubles to bother with us. However it shocks me that the house's of Damaskinos, Saqqara and the others aren't after us. They take rank and hierarchy very, VERY seriously. This begs a question: is something brewing out there that I don't know about? Something so serious that my 'treason' is set aside for now?" They were silent for some time as they looked out a tinted window at the night. Krista allowed her vision to change to the UV spectrum and saw nothing out of the ordinary in the night. Gently, she began to rub Marcus's back, trying to think of something to say. Marcus turned towards her and smiled with that same reassuring smile he had used to captivate Detroit into thinking he was passionate about keeping old buildings alive. "Come. The sun will rise soon and I am tired. You are too, I think." He took her hand and led her away.

Blade looked at his friends with a travel bag thrown over his shoulder. "I'll be back soon enough but I need to find out about this house of Corvinos." Shen and Karen walked up and proudly handed Blade a small, strange object. "This is what you have been waiting for since the battle with Drake." said Shen. "Karen helped me figure out the particulars of how the damn thing works and what I needed." Blade smiled at this. Placing the little device in his mouth, he took a deep breath. Within moments, he felt more healthy and alive than he had in a long time. The inhaler had a drug in it that helped his blood produce hemoglobin which humans' blood produced naturally but vampire blood couldn't produce at all, hence the fact they had to feed. "Thanks for this. That serum is getting worse and worse on me. Now I can even enjoy my first steak dinner in a long time without that serum messing me up." he shook their hands gratefully. Little Zoe ran up to him and gave him a big hug, which surprise all of them. The little eleven year old girl smiled up at him and said, "Goodbye, Blade. Be careful, 'kay?" Blade smiled down at her and ruffled her hair saying, "Of course Zoe. You take care of Hannibal and Abi."

Zoe giggled at the idea of taking care of the two people who had raised her since Drake had killed her mother. Finally, Blade left. As the door slammed behind him, Hannibal said, "Okay so now what are we supposed to do?" Abigail shrugged and sat down in a chair. "I guess we should just hold down the fort till he gets back. We can keep hunting vampires and all but other than that we just wait." they were quiet for a bit till Hannibal said, "It sure is easy being one Blade's familiars." Shen cocked an eyebrow. "Is that what we are? I don't think so, Hann." he chuckled at the thought of the idea. "For one thing, I have no desire to be a vampire of any kind. For another we aren't his servants. We are his friends and he would do anything to get us out of trouble where as vampires just cut their familiars loose." They all nodded their heads sagely.

Amelia, Elder of the house of Corvinos sat in her study in the great mansion in London. Her hundred years rain would soon be over and she would be able to sleep for the next two hundred. Part of her looked forward to this but part of her hated the fact that Viktor had set the rule up this way. Regardless when she awoke Marcus she would have a lot to tell him about. This strange daywalker hunter Blade had become quite the nuisance to most of the vampire nation. The Death Dealers were simply itching for an opportunity to bring him down but the truth was they were needed to hunt down the Lycans and Blade had not even managed to cause trouble for them yet. For one thing the house of Corvinos had managed to rid themselves of the pesky aversion to silver and garlic, making them some of the strongest vampires in the world though, in truth, Corvinos was one of the smallest houses. With a sigh of weariness, Amelia stood and tapped a buzzer on her desk. A woman came in and bowed. "Send in something to drink and send me Caesar. I want a squad of Death Dealers ready in a half hour." It had been a very long time since she had personally went and hunted for Lycans. Maybe one more hunt before she slept would help her rest more easily. Suddenly, Caesar himself ran in and bowed, saying quickly, "Pardon the intrusion my lady. The Daywalker is in Europe." Hearing this, Amelia sighed with disappointment. "You know what to do, Caesar. Have all Death Dealers return home until he leaves."

Caesar was about to protest, to say that he wanted to kill Blade the Daywalker who had caused the vampire nation so much trouble but he thought the wiser about it and left. Amelia sat back down and picked up her pen. The awakening of Markus was only two weeks away and if she died before that happened, as unlikely as that was, she would need to have some way to tell the other elders what happened during her rein. As she finished chronicling the events, she pressed the buzzer again. Her aide came in again and bowed. "Tell them that we are leaving ahead of schedule. If the Daywalker is in Europe I want the council to know as soon as possible and I want the house locked down when I am to awaken Markus."

Blade strode confidently through the airport. Obviously because of high security, he was unarmed but he had friends who would help him with that. An elderly gentleman stood holding a sign saying, "Eric Brooks." which was Blades given name. With a big smile, the old man said, "Eric my boy. How have you been? It's has been some time since Deacon Frost." Blade smiled slightly and shook the old man's hand. "It's been going well, Noah. Chthon is in chaos right now and the other houses are looking for the one who killed its purebloods. Leichan is staying out of it as usual and I don't know what's going on with Damaskinos and Saqqara. They have been all but dormant for the past six months." Noah took it all in silently as he and Blade walked to the car. Inside was a big husky named Razor whom Blade had always been fond of. "Well I have everything you need back at the house, my boy. This strange vampire house, the house of Corvinos, it's like nothing I have ever seen before."

Van Helsing lived in a massive house near a lake in London. They sat together at a table and ate. With the heightened senses of a vampire, Blade savored every bite of the food. Steak, potatoes, vegetables, fruit and all manner of human foods he had abstained from for the better part of a decade he consumed. To him they were nutritionally of no value but for pleasure, they were exceedingly good. After awhile, both he and Noah pushed back their chairs. "By Job, my boy. I haven't seen you eat like that before." Blade flashed the inhaler that Shen and Karen had given him. "This has a drug in it that naturally helps my blood create its own hemoglobin. It means I don't need the serum anymore." Noah stood up, smiling. "Good for you. Come to the study and I will show you everything I have on the house of Corvinos."

Van Helsing's study was more like an armory with a nice desk and bookshelf in it. Weapons lined the walls from small knives and throwing projectile weapons to massive crew-serve heavy weapons like a M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun. On the desk sat a file which had very little in it. There were some photographs of what Blade assumed to be vampires in the streets of a city at night. There were also photos of other people that looked as though they were lower income individuals from any European city. "Are these familiars?" asked Blade. Van Helsing gave a cryptic smile that barely contained his excitement. "No. Corvinos doesn't use familiars. They do all the work themselves. Those, my boy, are werewolves." Blade took off his glasses and cocked his head to one side. "What?" he said incredulously. Van Helsing smiled and said, "It seems that the house of Corvinos is in the midst of a civil war because werewolves, or Lycanthropes as they are properly called, are in the same family and have the same ancestor, Alexander Corvinos." Blade looked at him blankly but had a question in his eyes. "How did you learn all this?" Van Helsing pulled two more things out of the folder as he answered, "One of our cells in Hungary picked it all up. I have chartered passage for us to go their. We leave tomorrow at five o'clock a.m. I suggest you get some rest, my boy. This is going be an adventure the like of which we have never been through before."

Hannibal went from isle to isle of the grocery store as quickly as he could. It wasn't that he was afraid of being suddenly attacked in public by vampires. It was broad daylight so they wouldn't be about. Nor was it that he was afraid of being watched or tailed by familiars. He could pick one out of a crowed more easily than he could a wolf in a flock of sheep. He simply hated grocery shopping but seeing as how Karen was working on getting some EDTA, Shen was trying to figure out a way to eradiate a gelatin he called Carrier Gel with ultraviolet light which could be loaded into bullets and made very deadly to vampires, Abigail was making sure all the weapons were made ready for use in case of an emergency, especially her compound bow, and Zoe was obviously unable to do it herself at her age. Having lost the coin toss with his wife as to who would go shopping and who would play with weapons, Hannibal went down town. The list was as specific as could possibly be yet the small grocer inevitably didn't have exactly every item on the list. At times like this, Hannibal would have to make a judgment call - which would wind up being wrong. Looking from side to side self-consciously, Hannibal noticed a pair of guys watching him. Immediately his inner alarm went off. Familiars. He could tell. Acting as if he never saw a thing, Hannibal simply made his decision, checked out and walked towards the parking lot, whistling an old 70's tune as he went. He put his groceries in the van and closed the door and locked it before heading towards the music store. As he walked, he tried to think of a way to lure the two guys into a small area where he could take them out. The opportunity presented itself in the form of an alley just before the store. Turning suddenly into it, Hannibal looked for a place to ambush but the sound of running feet came up behind him before he could. Turning, he said cheerfully, "Fellas. Why are you stalking me so obviously?" At first the two men were taken aback by his boldness but they regained themselves and one pulled out a knife and the other pointing at him, saying "You're Hannibal King, one of Blade's familiars. We were told to kill you on site and that we would be turned if we did and become immortals." Hannibal cocked an eyebrow and said, "Familiar? You got it all wrong. Now turn around and walk away before I show you exactly how mortal you really are." For only a moment, the two men hesitated. Then they moved in fast, trying to take him from both sides. The fight was over fast. After taking the knife from the two men, Hannibal stabbed them both cleanly and threw them in the dumpster. He then wiped the knife clean and threw it in with them.

Upon walking back into the hideout and quickly putting away the groceries, Hannibal nonchalantly called out, "Honey, I'm home. What's for dinner?" Abi walked in and hugged her husband, giving him a tender kiss on the lips. "Spaghetti if you help me make it." she said, still in her husbands arms. Zoe walked up and said, "Can I help?" Abi smiled down at her and said, "Of course, kiddo." As they began to cook, Hannibal said casually, "So apparently there is a death mark on my head courtesy of the vampire nation. Two dumb familiars came after me today." Not showing the concern she felt, Abi nodded and said, "I see. Well that makes things a little more interesting. Oh by the way, Blade called and said to start looking into the houses of Damaskinos and Saqqara to see why they are so inactive." Hannibal nodded as he poured noodles into the water. "Sounds like a plan. I'll get on it first thing in the morning." Abigail put a hand on her husbands arm and said, "We need to be very careful, baby and only work during the day. If we work at night, every vampire in the city will be after us and believe me, we are not that good." Hannibal wrapped his wife up in his arms and held her for a long while. "Everything is gonna be fine, Darling." Zoe walked in with an apron on and said, "So when are we starting dinner?"

Blade and Noah walked through the rain towards an abandoned warehouse where they planned to set up shop. It truth, it would be little more than a rallying point and a place to store extra rounds and weapons. Inside was an old truck, some tool boxes, paints, thinners and other chemicals and a lot of old machinery. Busting open one of the machines' maintenance panel, Blade took out the motor inside and began to store the extra equipment and supplies. Van Helsing had a pair of .44 revolvers, some UV flash bang grenades and some stakes. Blade carried his custom .45 semi or full auto hand guns, a new glaive with three blades and a UV glaive, some UV grenades, his trademark sword and several stakes of his own. When they were ready to go, Blade secured the old warehouse and they took Van Helsing's truck into town. "So how do we plan on doing this, Eric?" asked Noah. "It's not like we can go around beating the information out of familiars." Blade had thought about this long and hard and the only thing he could come up with was, "We will just have to run into the vampires themselves."

It was night and the rain was coming down in sheets. Noah commented every now and again on the old buildings and architecture while Blade scanned bio-readings using his shades which had a device just for that built into it. For an hour the two hunters searched around the city. As they cam upon a stairwell to a subway tunnel, Blade's scanner flickered slightly and he thought he may have caught sight of a bio reading with a heat signature of far lower than humans had. "Noah, the subway tunnel." said Blade and headed down there. Suddenly, just as he was about to enter, gunfire rang out from the tunnel along with the expected screams of terror from the onlookers. Blade and Noah tried to run down the tunnel but the mass of people blocked their way. There were too many to try and force the way through so Blade and Noah waited patiently. When the crowd began to thin, they rushed down the stairway. A young man was trying to support a woman who had been shot. Thinking fast, Noah lent his arm as he said to Blade, "Go on Eric. I'll help these two and catch up with you." Blade nodded and hurried down the stairs.

Amelia had decided to go dressed in simpler clothing than the dresses she normally war. Instead she wore the garments of a Death Dealer. It was a skin tight body suit with a vest of leather over it, all covered with a long, black leather coat. Under hers, Amelia carried a pair of guns and a sword, marking that she was an elder who was setting out for war, though in reality, she was simply dressing for trouble. As he train came to a stop, she got up and said to Caesar, "Kraven has no idea that we are coming so early. He will be expecting us in at least three or four hours." "Shall I have him notified, my Lady?" asked Caesar. After a moment of thought, Amelia shook her head, a wily smile crossing her face. "No. I have always enjoyed watching Kraven falter in his attempts to make excuses and fumble out explanations."

Suddenly, one of the Death Dealers said, "My Lady, one of our Death Dealer squads is under attack by Lycans and… wait…," the woman listened for a moment to an earpiece she had before turning even more pale than she already was, "…the Daywalker. Blade is here, my Lady." Andria moved quickly, "I want to be where that fight is happening now, Caesar. If we can reinforce the Death Dealers then perhaps we can bring an end to Blade and the remainder of those disgusting Lycans." Cars were unloaded from the containers and they were on their way towards the subway tunnels where the fighting had taken place. Amelia allowed herself a smile as she wrapped her hand around the hilt of her double-edged broadsword. Tonight could be a night to remember.

It was a standoff. Blade had his two firearms held on the Lycan in wolf form and the female vampire Death Dealer while she had her two on he and the Lycan. "Sorry, wolf boy," said Blade, "But it looks like you are the only one who gets the raw deal." Suddenly, the wolf returned to human form to reveal a large black man. He was gasping and had four bladed throwing weapons sticking out of him made of silver. The Death Dealer said, "This war doesn't concern you, Daywalker. Leave now or I will be force to kill you." Blade sneered, unimpressed by the threat. "I've killed more of your kind than you even knew existed, Death Dealer. One more isn't going to stop me now." "I beg to differ, Daywalker." called a voice from behind him. Instinctively, Blade leapt to the side and out of the line of fire. The Lycan snarled and took off into the darkness of the tunnels. The Death Dealer was about to go after him when the voice said, "Stay here, Death Dealer." Out of the darkness stepped a tall and beautiful vampire who Blade could tell was a pureblood. "You must be Amelia." he said, using his weapons to cover both even though he was outnumbered ten to one. She smiled and bowed her head slightly. "There are some who argue that you have been a greater service to the vampire nation than a hindrance. Killing Deacon Frost and ending his treason, Eli Damaskinos and the Reaper outbreak, that animal Drake and of course, the innumerable low life vampire scum that you killed, being so kind to help us with population control. I feel as though I should actually thank you, Blade." Blade put up his weapons. They had been useless anyway, doing nothing but hurting the vampires the way lead would. "That feeling will pass. I'm here to kill you and the other elders of the Coven of the house of Corvinus." Amelia actually laughed. Her Death Dealers had surrounded the Daywalker now. Perhaps this would be easier than she had thought. Suddenly, Blade made his move. He whipped out a UV grenade, popped the pin and dropped it, leaping straight up into the air and pulling out his sword at the same time. The vampires all ducked for cover but after the UV flash, only the female Death Dealer, whose name was Selene, Caesar and Amelia were left when Blade landed. "Now it looks like the tables have turned, vampire lady." he said. Turning to Selene and Caesar, Amelia said calmly, "Go back to the mansion and tell them to prepare for my arrival. I won't be long." Both hesitated. "NOW!" she hissed angrily. They left, knowing that if their elder died, they would both be dead.

Amelia stared across at Blade as they shed their coats. "I hear that you are quite and accomplished swordsman, Daywalker. Already you have proven quite resourceful but I wish to see if the legend is true about exactly how skilled you are." And, baring her fangs and hissing threateningly, the Elder vampire drew her sword and attacked. Blade was shocked to find how strong she was. He had not fought an opponent this strong since Drake and La Magra before that. Not only that, she was fast and she was good. They drove to and froe through the tunnels hacking, slashing and thrusting at each other. Several times Blade nearly lost his head but he was a very powerful swordsman himself and was not even daunted. "You ARE skilled, Daywalker. Even our greatest Death Dealers in the time when the way of the sword was prevalent, you would have bested most if not all of them." Blade heard something in her straining voice that puzzled him - admiration. "By dawn, you will be dead, Amelia. Even if silver can't hurt you, me severing your head will." He redoubled his attack, trying to break her guard or cause her to make a mistake. Suddenly, roars came from the tunnels behind Blade. Taking the opportunity, Amelia disarmed Blade, grabbed him by his throat, bringing him in close. "Another time, Daywalker." she whispered and kissed him on the lips. This shocked Blade and he froze. With a powerful kick, Amelia sent him flying into a pillar. Stars exploded in his eyes as he struck his head against a rock. Standing carefully, he shook himself, trying to rid himself of the dizziness. Suddenly, he was slammed to the ground again, a gray furred Lycan snarling in his face. "Wait!" called a commanding voice. "Now Raze, don't you remember that the enemy of my enemy at least could be my friend? Let the man up, please." The Lycan moved off Blade who leapt to his feet. Lycans were everywhere, clinging to walls and pillars, on ledges and on the ground around him. "Please forgive my associates. They can be a bit animalistic at times." Turning, Blade saw a tall man holding his sword and admiring the craftsmanship. The man proffered it with a polite smile and saying, "It's an excellent sword, Daywalker. Allow me to introduce myself," and he bowed slightly, "my name is Lucian. Perhaps we may make an arrangement that may be mutually beneficial to us all."


	2. Chapter 2: The Elder's of the House

Blade and Noah Van Helsing stood in the underground hideout of the Lycan clan and it's leader Lucian. Lucian was very courteous and offered both of them refreshment. "Would you like some clone blood, Daywalker? I know it isn't like the real thing but you can't even tell the difference." Blade stiffened and pulled out his new inhaler. "No thanks. I don't drink blood. I'll have whatever Noah has." Lucian watched with interest as Blade took two deep breaths of his inhaler before turning to Noah. "We don't have my to offer I'm afraid. I think they can get you the works to make a sandwich and give you some beer but that's all I can offer. We don't often cater to humans." he said apologetically. "That will do fine, Mr. Lucian. Thank you." While they waited for one of the other Lycans to bring in the works, Lucian asked Blade some questions. "I didn't think you would be able to eat human food. The vampires I know aren't able to. How do you live without blood?" Again, Blade pulled out his inhaler and said, "This inhaler has a drug in it that allows my blood to make hemoglobin. Most vampires can eat real food though it has no nutritional value to them and have to drink blood to survive because their own cannot produce hemoglobin."

Lucian's eyes widened in interest. "That is an interesting device. I bet the vampires would love to have it if they know about it." Blade put it away and crossed his arms over his chest. "It would only kill them. The reason the drug works on me is cause I'm half human." "Of course. That makes sense. I suppose it has its advantageous." said Lucian. Then a Lycan came in with a massive tray of bread, cheese, vegetables and cold cuts. With an appreciative smile, Noah threw together four large sandwiches and gave two of them to Blade. Lucian turned to his associates and said, "You may leave now, gentlemen. I don't think I have anything to fear from our guests." They left hesitantly and shut the door behind them. As soon as they were gone, Lucian leaned forward and placed his hands together on the table. "I hope you do not mind if we discuss business while you eat, gentlemen. I am rather pressed for times these days." Noah swallowed a mouth full of food and washed it down with a gulp of beer before saying, "We would prefer it that way, Mr. Lucian. We don't have to much time ourselves." Lucian nodded and said, "Of course. The fact that you are here means that you are trying to destroy the elders and the council of the vampires of the house of Corvinus. I wish that myself for they have been hunting my kind for over five hundred years. Therefore, I would like to help you in any way I can." Blade finished his first sandwich and asked, "Why should we trust you? You're no different than the vampires. You're blood suckers too." Lucian steepled his fingers and said, "The vampires of the house of Corvinus drink clone blood and livestock blood, not human blood. We do the same. The vampires don't feed on humans because they don't want to expend their food source nor do they want to make a mistake and be revealed to the human public. We do the same for the same reasons. We want to stay hidden from both the humans and the vampires as best as we can. Now I can give you a weapon that will greatly help you against all vampires, not just those from the house of Corvinus." Noah cocked one eyebrow slowly and asked, "And what would that be, Mr. Lucian?" Lucian stood and began to pace. "By giving you an ammunition that uses the deadliness of sunlight against vampires."

With that, Lucian pulled from one of his pockets a magazine with glowing nine millimeter slugs in it. He sent it spinning across the table and Blade caught it in his hand and lifted it to take a closer look. By the heat of the light, Blade could tell that they were UV radiated. Each bullet made of a clear metal of some kind and had fluid in it that was somehow irradiated. "Those rounds will kill a vampire as quickly as stepping into the sunlight would. I will not only supply you a goodly amount of them this very moment but I will also tell you where to go and find out how they were made. All I ask is that you go about your business and also that you do not attack any Lycans." Noah and Blade looked at each other. Finally Blade said, "Agreed, Lycan. But if you start attacking humans again, I will add Lycans to my list." Lucian smiled and bowed slightly and said, "Then I will supply you each a thousand rounds of any different caliber you may need."

As soon as they finished eating, Lucian led them to the armory and handed them the rounds they required before showing them to an exit into the city. The darkness of the night hid them from the site of the people around them and the rain continued to come down steadily. "Well where next my boy?" asked Noah as he threw his hood over his head against the rain. Blade was silent for a moment before saying, "I need to make a call."

Amelia sat in the office provided for her as she continued to chronicle the events of her rein. When she had finished with the details of her duel with Blade, she set her pen down and leaned back in the chair. It had been a long and rather boring hundred years. Beside the odd bout with larger groups of Lycans it had passed pretty much uneventfully. The scientists had developed a way to clone blood and it was now being tested by human scientists in order that it could be approved for medical use and would then be a great cash crop for the vampires. She stood up and began to pace around the room for until she came to the stand that held her sword. Drawing it from the scabbard, she looked at the blade, remembering her duel with the Daywallker. His sword had been a work of art as had every movement he had made. He would be a worthy opponent indeed when they met again. Amelia sheathed the blade and walked over to her desk, hitting the buzzer. In came her assistant with a curtsy. "Send for that female Death Dealer. Selene I believe her name was. I wish to speak with her."

When the Selene arrived and had bowed low, Amelia smiled at her and motioned towards a chair as she poured two goblets of blood. "Have a seat, young one. I hate standing on ceremony when it isn't necessary." Selene sat down and accepted the drink. After they had both taken a sip, Amelia set the goblet aside and folded her hands in front of herself on the table. "I called you in here to talk about a couple of things. One is your hunt for the Lycans and the other is the Daywalker who we met in the tunnel." Selene was slightly nervous but she relaxed in her chair. She began with, "The hunt for the Lycans was going well until tonight. We had rooted out and killed many of the larger dens and are now simply working on the smaller groups we may come into contact with." and then Selene hesitated for a moment, remembering the great ruckus she heard in the tunnels before encountering the Daywalker. "What is it, young one?" said Amelia with a convincingly earnest look in her eyes. "Do you have a suspicion or a hunch? Please do tell me, Selene." The Death Dealer took a deep breath and then began, "My lady before the Daywalker showed up I was tracking a Lycan down in the tunnels and sewers and heard a great commotion down there. At first I thought it was just the echoes but then I realized that it wasn't. I heard dozens of voices somewhere down there…" and again she hesitated before saying, "…I would guess that there could have been over a hundred." Silence followed the statement. Amelia stood up and paced the room for several minutes. In her mind, she seriously doubted that there were hundreds but she had heard too much noise for it just to be the dozen or so they had been finding recently. "If that is true, my dear, then times have become more desperate than they have been in over five hundred years. With the Daywalker here and the Lycans once again massing I think it is time to call both Markus and Viktor from their rest." Selene hid her surprise and said, "I agree my lady." Amelia sat down again and said, "Now the Daywalker - what do you know of him?" Selene thought for a moment before saying, "I had heard much about him, that he was the scourge of the houses, though our history never mentions running into him. I think he is a danger to us however and one that must be stopped." Amelia liked Selene for the young Death Dealer reminded her of herself when Amelia was her age so very long ago. "Thank you young one. You may go now." Selene got up and bowed but Amelia could tell something bothered the young vampire. She really didn't care about Selene but it may be something useful for, by all accounts, she had a gift for hunches and was rarely wrong. "What is it, my Dear." she asked. "My Lady, the story goes that Kraven was the only one to leave Lucian's stronghold alive and that he himself slew Lucian. Is it true? Did it really happen that way?" asked Selene for the doubt had ever gnawed at her. Amelia stood with a sigh and looked at her as if studying her. "Come with me, my dear. I will show you something that has been forbidden for any to see save the elders."

She took Selene to the library and through a door that had always remained locked. Inside were great books and Amelia unlocked one from its glass case. Reverently, she opened it and flipped through the pages. "Here it tells the tale we all know." said Amelia and then she turned the page over once more. "And here we see the branded flesh of the Lycan ruler." It was there in the book, the branded skin of Lucian. After looking at it for a few moments, Selene turned to her elder and bowed again. "Thank you my lady." she said, still only half convinced. After Selene left, Amelia locked the forbidden room back up and decided to have a word with Kraven. She wanted the council and all the Death Dealers present when she awakened the other two elders.

Selene was gone already. She had left the building to fallow a lead that she had gathered while hunting the Lycans. In one of the Covenant's vehicles she made her way to an apartment complex. A human lived there that she could swear the Lycans were after for some reason. Silently, she broke into the apartment that belonged to a human named Michael Corvin. Snooping around, Selene looked through pictures and other odds and ends. On a desk next to note books and flash cards sat a text book. A wooden board creaked, causing Selene to whip around. There stood the Daywalker. They stared at each other for a few moments, neither moving until Blade asked, "Since you vampires don't use familiars, I'm just gonna have to get the information out of you." Faster than humanly possible he moved in on her and stopped her before she could get the guns out. She attacked with the only other weapon she had, her hands. The combatants went back and forth for several minutes when suddenly, a human walked into the room. "What's going on here?" he asked. Blade kicked his opponent away and tried to grab the human but she was on him again, striking hard and fast. She was every bit as good as he was but faster and more flexible. He was about to draw a stake when they heard growls and snarls from the hallway. He was too late. Blade leapt out the window and landed on the ground below. He heard gunfire from above and went to hide in the shadow. Minutes later a car sped by and the Lycan Lucian was chasing it. The human was important to both parties otherwise why would they be after him. With several quick leaps, Blade leapt to the roof tops and followed as best as he could. He saw Lucian on top of the car and then get thrown off of it. He watched as the car went spinning towards the peer and spinning into the nearby river. Disappointed, Blade watched the bubbles float to the surface and before turning away. He took a few steps but then heard splashes and a gasp for breath and looked down to see them surface. Seeing this, he was about to leap down after them when he stopped and waited. This vampire could lead him back to the house of Corvinus if he was patient. With all the silence of hunting cat, Blade leapt down and hid away in the shadows and there he waited.

Amelia wasn't too concerned that Selene wasn't at the ceremony. The young Death Dealer probably had a hunch she was following which may end up serving them all better in the end. With all the other Death Dealers and the council members present, Amelia woke Marcus and Viktor. The mummified corpses were given blood in order to regenerate them and it would be an hour or so before they were able to speak or walk. Until then, the mansion was on high alert with all the Death Dealers armed and on the watch. If Selene was correct and there were so many Lycans out there, they would want to take this opportunity to attack. Amelia was in her office when Caesar came in. He bowed and looked agitated as usual. "My lady Selene has returned and brought a human with her." Amelia cocked an eyebrow. A human? Why would she bring a human here? "Thank you Caesar. Take me to her quarters please."

Selene looked at Michael Corvin whom had saved her from drowning in the river. What was she going to do with him? Why were the Lycans after him? A dozen question washed through her head as she watched the human. Suddenly, her door swung open and the Death Dealer Caesar came in followed by Amelia. Selene bowed and said, "My lady." Amelia walked over to where Michael lay on the bed before turning to Caesar and saying, "Leave us." When the door shut behind Caesar, Amelia turned to Selene and said in a quiet voice, "I trust that you did not bring a human into this house without purpose, my dear." Selene cleared her throat nervously and said, "My Lady the Lycans were after him for a reason. His name is Michael Corvin and…" and she paused for a moment before saying, "I may have been mistaken but I could have sworn I saw Lucian tonight." Silence filled the room and the thunder began to roll outside. Amelia began to feel anger rising within her. Even after what she had shown Selene, the Death Dealer still had the insolence to say such a thing and to bring a human home with her as well. Maintaining composure Amelia said, "Selene your obsession with Lycans, though understandable considering what happened to your family, is growing tiring. Now I wish you to dispose of this human and return to your duties." Selene grabbed an empty glass from a table and used her long nails to open a wound in her hand. The blood poured in and she said, "Please my lady; if I am wrong about this then I swear I will dispose of him but if I am right then we are all in the gravest of danger." She picked up the glass and offered it to the elder with a humble bow. After a moment, Amelia took the glass and drank the blood. Immediately, memories flooded through her mind. Hate for the Lycans, Viktor saving her and turning her, the many hunts and, there it was, Lucian attacking her and the human Michael Corvin. Memories of seeing the Lycans chasing him were also there.

Amelia put the glass down and looked at Selene. "You speak the truth, Selene. That was Lucian you saw and he was after this human. I want you to take him to one of the quest rooms and lock him in there. We will take care of him, I promise you. When he is accommodated, go to the crypts and I will be there. Hopefully Marcus and Viktor will be able to speak. We will put Kraven on trial for his crimes." Selene bowed again and said, "Thank you my lady." Amelia then left and Selene picked up Michael and noticed that his shirt was wet around its collar. Looking, she saw bite marks and realization sank in. Michael had been bitten by Lucian. The horror of the discovery sank in and she nearly dropped him. He began to stir and groaned. Setting him back on the couch, Selene grabbed him by the face to get his attention and said, "I am going to leave this room and return in about a half hour. I want you gone by the time I return. If they find out that you were bitten by a Lycan, they will kill you." She then stood and walked out, shutting the door and locking it.

Blade had followed Selene and Michael to a great mansion on the outskirts of the city. He observed it now. It was heavily guarded by armed vampires and guard dogs. These vampires were far more dangerous than almost any other he had met. This Selene reminded him of the Blood Pack of the Damaskinos house, a specially trained vampire squad he had encountered back during the Reaper Crisis. With the odds against him, he wished that Hannibal, Abigail and Shen were there. With their help, he and Noah could go in and take them out without too much trouble especially with the new ammo that Lucian had given them. After gathering all the information he could from the mansion, Blade went to one of his friends in the area, giving them two UV rounds to send to Shen in New York. He then met Noah at a bus stop. "The mansion is a fortress. Getting in won't be easy and even if we do, there are hundreds of there Death Dealers running around and they are well armed." Noah scratched his chin and said, "Do you think we should get help from your friends in New York? I'm sure they will love the opportunity to kill more vampires. Especially these mysterious ones." Blade shook his head and said, "From what I hear, they are being hunted themselves by the houses of Erebus and Saqqara. I think it would be best to let them stay there." They were both silent as they pondered their predicament when two cops walked up to them. One said, "Lucian wanted us to tell you to not concern yourself with Michael Corvin. He has nothing to do with this war and especially not with you, Daywalker." Blade turned to him and said, "Tell Lucian that the Death Dealer who kidnapped Michael Corvin made it my concern. She is onto him and has him now unless I'm wrong." The two Lycans in police officer uniform looked at each other and turned away. Noah said, "I think our Lycan friends are our only chance of defeating these guys."

Kraven had disappeared with a number of the Death Dealers. No one knew where they had gone but word around the house was that Kraven was running from the wrath of the elders. Not only that, Selene was gone again, sent by Amelia to find the stranger she had brought in. Amelia herself stood before her two fellow elders. Though their mummified remains had regenerated into a somewhat recognizable flesh and blood, they still looked as though they were more dead than alive. Viktor said, "This is indeed disturbing news Amelia. With Lucian still alive and at large, this Daywalker hunting us down and Kraven's treachery, waking Marcus and I was a wise decision." Marcus agreed, "Whatever Lucian wants with this human descendant of Alexander Corvenos, it cannot bode well for this Coven. How should we priorities these problems?" All three were silent for awhile. When Viktor finally spoke he spoke with all the authority and command of a king, "We will lure this Daywalker into a trap and the three of us will deal with this scourge upon the vampire nation forever. At the same time we will have our most trusted and skilled Death Dealer hunt down and slay Lucian and all his beasts. Kraven can be dealt with when this is over." Amelia smiled wickedly and said, "I look forward to meeting the Daywalker again. As the Death Dealer who will lead the strike force, Caesar has always proven a shrewd and very skilled warrior for as long as I have reined. Selene too is a very skilled Death Dealer and it is her hunches that alerted us to both this humans importance to the Lycans and the truth about Lucian and Kraven." Viktor smiled with a hint of pride. "Selene is a strong warrior and like a daughter to me. She works well with the other Death Dealers and I have every faith in her abilities." Marcus was silent, his mind seemingly on other things. The other elders paid him little mind as they continued their plans.

Selene had found Michael and taken him to a secure location when another Death Dealer had called her and told her to return to the mansion. The elders wished to see her for something important - a special task or something. Now she was in the chamber that held the crypts and both Marcus and Viktor were clothed in their robes and armed with swords. Though still gaunt and pale they stood tall and imposingly next to Amelia. Selene bowed low and said, "My Lords, My Lady. How can I help?" Viktor strode up to her and said, "We have a special task for you, my child. You will lead the Death Dealers into the tunnels under the city and kill every last Lycan and whosoever kills Lucian and brings me his severed head will earn great reward." Hearing this sent a thrill through Selene. She hated the Lycans for they had killed her family. "I am honored, My Lord. I will return with the head of Lucian." The three elders smiled as she left to prepare. This night would be a night to remember in the centuries to come.

Blade watched as the Death Dealers rolled out of the Mansion in a convoy of armored vans and trucks. Whether or not the three elders were with them did not matter. Blade would set many traps and gain much intelligence about the house of Corvinos. Quietly he climbed the gate and ran across the courtyard to the front door. He didn't expect it to be unlocked and had lock picking tools for both electrical and mechanical locks but it was unlocked. Knowing that people were probably still about, Blade went from door to door, testing each one. Most were locked and he didn't bother trying to open them, knowing that a library or archive of some nature was not likely to be on the first floor right next to the front door. More likely they were in the basement or upper floor of the building, somewhere that would take some searching to get to. A front gallery opened before him and a staircase leading up. "Welcome Daywalker." said a deep voice from on the floor above. Looking up and behind him, Blade saw three figures, one of which was the female vampire he had fought earlier. The other two were male and wore long, old fashioned robes and all three had swords on their belts. Blade stood stock still for several moments as they gazed at him and he gazed at them. He was in deep trouble for if the two men were as skilled at the woman, he would be in a fight for his life against three very skilled vampire purebloods. One of the males smiled and said, "Allow me to introduce us, Daywalker. I am Viktor. This is Marcus and you have already met Amelia I hear. We are the leaders of the Coven of the house of Corvinos. We have heard much about you from the other houses. They say that you are the bane of all vampires. We tonight shall prove you wrong."

They drew their swords and leapt down. Blade drew his as well and readied himself for the fight of his life. As soon as their feet his the ground, they attacked viciously. Blade fought a retreating fight, trying to keep the elders in each others way but they were so fast that he narrowly avoided loosing his head. Knowing that fight sword to sword would be suicide, Blade tried to leap up to another level but found Marcus there who nearly impaled him on his blade. The Daywalker deflected the weapon and kicked out, sending the vampire sprawling. He was about to behead the vampire but Amelia and Viktor were there and moving as one, attempting to overwhelm Blade's defense. It would have worked had Marcus not kicked Blade off the balcony onto the gallery floor. Blade leapt up and deflected a slash from Viktor and punched him hard in the throat, causing the elder to gag and stagger backwards but before Blade to press his advantage, Amelia was there and caught Blade a heavy blow in the ribs, nearly breaking them and sending him through a nearby wall into a bedroom of some nature. When the three elders walked into the room, Blade was nowhere to be found. The door to the bedroom was open into a hall way that was completely dark. Suddenly, a quiet beep was heard and they looked down. A round glowing spherical object sat on the ground and was beeping. It beeped louder and with rapidity. Amelia yelled, "It's a grenade! Out!" They all dove out of the room just in time as a wave of ultraviolet light blasted throughout. They all stood, narrowly missing being turned to ash. With an angry kick and a snarl, Amelia opened the door to the hall. "We will have to be extra careful now. The Daywalker must have more little traps set for us everywhere." she said in a low hiss. They slowly advanced down the hall, their sharp eyes missing nothing. They saw several tripwires which they avoided with ease. Three doors were open before them, each one leading down another hall. "We cannot split up." said Amelia. "He could defeat us one at a time especially if he caught us off guard." Viktor restrained a sneer. "I doubt that very much." and he went through center door. Marcus and Amelia looked at each other doubtfully before taking the other two.

Blade pulled out his firearms and waited, knowing that the elder Viktor would be approaching down the hallway at any moment. It was time to test out the new UV rounds of his weapon. The vampire elder appeared on the other end for a moment before passing by without coming down the hall. Blade lowered his pistol and cursed inwardly. Quickly and quietly he got up to find another spot to ambush only to find Viktor right behind him. With a powerful swing, Viktor knocked the gun from Blade's hand and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him through the wall and into another room. Before he had the chance to get up, Blade felt himself lifted bodily from the floor and flung back out into the main gallery. The other two elders were waiting there with drawn swords. Moving fast, Blade rolled out of the way, leapt up and drew his sword. Again, he was alone against the three elders. Viktor and Marcus smiled while Amelia scowled angrily. "You are a resourceful opponent, Blade." said Viktor. "The house of Corvinos would benefit from one such as you. You could be a daytime Death Dealer, guarding us and keeping us safe while we sleep through the day. The rewards would be great. Consider carefully for this will be the only offer I make." Without even the slightest hesitation, Blade replied, "I will never serve the vampire nation. They are a danger to humanity that must be eliminated." Marcus shook his head with sincere disappointment and moved in with upraised sword. "Then your life is over, Daywalker." he said. Before their blades met, the crack of a firearm was heard and Marcus sword went spinning. There at the entrance to the gallery stood Selene, Lucian and Michael Corvin who had been turned into… something. He was dark gray almost black like a Lycan but not a Lycan. "The odds have changed, Viktor. It is time to end this war once and for all." said Lucian and immediately he turned into a wolf. Selene glared hatred at Viktor, "You deceived me. You deceived us all. It was you who slew my family. It was you who started this war with the Lycans and sent me on the hunt for them for all these years." Viktor looked at her with sincere surprise in his face. "My child! Why would you betray me when I have given you a life of immortality?" Tears rolled down her face and she said angrily, "I would rather have had my family back. But that is impossible. I can make sure that none of you betray anyone ever again." With that she dropped her firearms, for she only had silver bullets, and pulled a sword from where it was hanging on the wall. Amelia shook her head sadly and said, "My dear you misunderstand. Please give us a chance to explain. Return to us or at least stand aside until this conflict is resolved." Selene said nothing as she stood between Blade and Michael. Marcus, now unarmed laughed almost maniacally and suddenly began to change. He turned to a strange pale color and wings sprouted from his shoulders. His face looked like that of a bat almost. Now the three elders faced their enemies alone. Blade raised his sword and readied himself as Lucian, Michael and Selene came on line with him. Viktor pulled a long knife from the sleeve of his robe and snarled angrily. "Let's end it, then."


End file.
